We Congratulate Phil Murphy: Now the Real Battle to Take Back NJ Begins

For Immediate Release

Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100

Phil Murphy won the nomination as the Democratic Candidate in New Jersey’ 2018 Gubernatorial election yesterday and we congratulate him on this important victory. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:

“Today the real campaign begins to take back New Jersey from polluters and special interests. We congratulate Phil Murphy for this important victory and our proud that Sierra Club endorsed him. Now we will re-double our efforts to support his campaign and make sure the next Governor is an environmental champion like Phil. We proudly supported Phil Murphy because we felt he is the best candidate to deliver on protecting the environment and fighting climate change. We believe that Murphy will bring a new vigor and energy to the Statehouse while enacting important environmental initiatives. We are confident that Murphy will fight to protect our environment and protect us from the rollbacks of the Trump Administration.”

“This campaign will be a battle for the future of New Jersey. We need to elect Phil Murphy because he will work to clean our air, protect our water and fight climate change. We need a Governor that will stand up to Donald Trump, not someone who believes in rolling back environmental protections and promoting corporate subsidies at the expense of education and the environment. Phil Murphy will work to transition New Jersey to a green economy by promoting renewable energy over fossil fuels. Under Governor Christie we lost close to half our solar jobs and have not followed through on our potential for wind turbine technology. Murphy supports making New Jersey a leader in wind and solar power once again. He supports a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. He will help accomplish this by putting us back into RGGI and committing to 3500 megawatts of offshore wind. Phil Murphy’s goals for renewable energy and green jobs with help New Jersey’s environment and economy as well.”

“As Governor, Phil Murphy would be the opposite of Chris Christie. Guadagno said as Lieutenant Governor she worked to get rid of red tape, which was Governor Christie’s way of rolling back environmental protections. Their Administration has the worst record for the environment in our state’s history. Murphy cares about the environment and the people of New Jersey. He will oppose offshore drilling, unnecessary pipelines, and fossil fuel expansion. Not only will Murphy stop Christie’s rollbacks on air and water protections, but he will move forward with stronger environmental protections. He will also work to constitutionally dedicate environmental settlement funds and promote jobs in clean energy fields such as wind and solar. He has also come out against some of the pipelines proposals threatening New Jersey such as PennEast and Pilgrim. Most of the Democratic candidates are decent on the environment, but Phil stands above them.”

“The Ambassador has been outspoken critic of Governor Christie’s failure to protect New Jersey’s drinking water. He has stated his plans to update aging water infrastructure and stopping the diversion of lead remediation funds. He is opposed to any fracking or dumping of fracking waste in New Jersey as well. Governor Christie has stacked many important Councils and Commission with people who represent the gas and oil industries. Murphy will protect the Highlands and Pinelands by appointing the right people to roles meant to protecting the environment.”

“This is the first win, but we have to keep fighting to make sure Phil Murphy gets elected as Governor in November. Phil Murphy cares about clean water and our environment. He will work to protect New Jersey from future storm events by promoting reducing greenhouse gasses and switching our state to a green economy. We look forward to working with Phil Murphy if he is elected as the next Governor of New Jersey and will continue to support him during this process. This is the first win in our battle to take back the Statehouse for the environment and the people of New Jersey.”